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Thursday, 27 May 2010

First thank you so much for all the comments on my last project! Can you believe I have made something else from the same issue and also cut out a jacket from June's issue - things are really looking up.

For some reason decent knits are quite hard to come by in Hong Kong so when I found some great navy knit fabric I grabbed it. Not very imaginatively I instantly thought of this pattern.

This dress pattern is rated only one dot and I promise it is the easiest dress in the world to sew. For anyone out there still a bit nervous about trying a Burda magazine pattern this is the one to start with. There are two pattern pieces plus 2 rectangles for the skirt. And for those of you with a longer attention span than me I think you can make this dress in less than an hour (even less if you can cut neatly and don't bother finishing the hems).

I cut my skirt pieces wider than the pattern suggested because I thought the magazine version looked a bit tight on the model, but actually I think I added a bit too much so I have more gathers at the waist than I would like. I also added quite a deep hem on mine to get the slightly shorter length I wanted.

This will get tons of wear over the summer and I will definitely be making it again when I find the right fabric. As well as being super comfortable, I think this pattern can work for day, dressed up with jewelry and heels for night and even as a poolside cover-up.

It's a winner - make it!

I took these pictures just as the sun was going down and as I was beginning to be eaten by some kind of flying insects so they are a bit rushed, but I couldn't wait till tomorrow to share this one.

(A quick edit following some comments - surprisingly the dress isn't too gappy under the arms, I don't know why, it's a mystery I know - perhaps in a very thin very drapy silk jersey it might be a problem, but my fabric sticks out a bit so nothing shows. It fits well on the shoulders, no slippage at all.)

Friday, 14 May 2010

I was finally shamed into finishing off my top when my cat made a bed out of it! So here is the finished product after extensive use of a lint roller to remove cat hair.

I always have trouble choosing buttons but settled on these dull (in colour) metal ones, they have a shank on the back so the front holes are purely decorative.

The buttons helpfully came in 2 sizes so I used smaller ones on the lower pocket flaps.

The usual old pose - and yes that is a matching skirt. Originally I pictured making this fabric into a shirtdress and then decided separates might be more versatile, I plan on getting some plain grey washed silk for matching coordinates and of course white will work too.

A closer view of the top and a different pose! Although this top has cutaway shoulders, on me at least it is just about wearable with a normal bra - it would be quite easy to widen the shoulder a bit though if you prefer.

The skirt is Burda magazine 07/2008 - a mix of 113 & 114, minus pockets - really simple, wide yoke, side zip, pleats in front and darts in back. This is the tech drawing of 114 - 113 is slightly longer without the topstitching and waist tie.

I added a deep hem facing and rows of topstitching as shown in view 114 to "sportify" it a bit and tie it to the top.

Thursday, 6 May 2010

Thank you for all the encouraging words, I am OK about turning 40 really, my 30's were better than my 20's so I'm just going to assume the trend continues.

I wore the knit top from my last post yesterday and it drove me nuts all day as it constantly slipped off my shoulders - forwards, backwards and sideways! Thank goodness I was wearing a tank underneath. It felt very cool to wear though (as it should with all the ventilation going on) so it can remain in the wardrobe for now to be worn at home.

Also in the "now worn in real life" category is the black print Cynthia Rowley dress with the sequin trim I added. Katharine smartly asked if the trim meant that it was no longer machine washable. Well I hadn't even thought of that, but no way was I going to hand wash it so I bunged it in the machine and crossed my fingers and it was fine, remembered not to put it in the dryer though, that might be a step too far.

Moving on....here's what I am working on now, BWOF 05/2010-129 top.

I just have buttons and sleeve edges to finish, which knowing me will take weeks!

The eagle eyed among you will see that I left off the top pockets. This for once isn't due to laziness, but because I did an FBA and then they just wouldn't sit right. Also I don't have a pointy bit on the end of the placket. This is because I didn't read the instructions before cutting out and didn't see the separate tracing lines for the left and right placket band - I blame the new pattern sheets for that (NOT my aging eyes!).

It's been a while since I got straight onto a Burda magazine pattern, hopefully this is a good sign!